My Disciples Became Scoundrels - Chapter 67

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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We don’t call ordinary flames by the name Blazing Heat. It’s a term reserved for the great and terrible infernos that consume all things, or for the sun itself.
In that sense, this Dungeon could rightly be called Blazing Heat.
A vast desert stretched before us. Fine white sand crunched beneath every step, and the scorching air caught in the throat.
In the midst of it all, Jenia gazed upward in wonder.
“Wow, there’s a sun here. Two of them?”
Two suns burned in the sky. They were black in color, each ringed by a hollow band in the center.
“Why are there two suns? Why do they look different?”
“Perhaps they’re failed creations. There are stories that dungeons are made from what the gods abandoned.”
“I see.”
The cry of a monster echoed from far away. The place was ominous. Though it was called the first floor, one could tell this was no easy place.
Judging by how the crowd chattered like a bustling marketplace, though, perhaps it was.
“Come over here and check your weapons and gear!”
“It’ll take a while, so rest up!”
“Go fetch water from the Oasis. We need to stay properly hydrated.”
At the dungeon’s entrance, around a small Oasis, a throng of people milled about noisily.
Some set up Shade Tents with practiced ease, while others changed into lighter clothing.
Cesare squinted and spoke.
“What’s this? Did they all come on a picnic? What are those tents?”
“We need to set up a Shade Tent too. Unless you want to risk heatstroke.”
“Are you playing noble? What’s that?”
Bella held a Parasol. With her flowing top, she truly looked like an aristocratic young lady.
When she tried to place the Parasol over me, I accepted it instead.
“The sun’s strong—isn’t a Parasol nice? It suits you well, too.”
“Your master says the same thing. If you don’t want to suffer from heat, go set up the tent right now.”
“Yes, yes. A humble servant shall obey.”
Cesare grumbled but began erecting the poles. I was about to offer help when Arkel and Jenia returned.
“We’ve registered, Master.”
“Good work. Wait a moment while I help with the tent.”
“I can handle this myself.”
Arkel joined Cesare, and together they worked. There was something servant-like about their backs bent to the task.
While Jenia rested in the Parasol’s shadow, the shelter was completed. Cesare wiped the sweat from his brow roughly.
“Phew, I’m dying from the heat. Do we really have to hunt monsters all day in this?”
“Yes. The group that collects the most Monster Cores wins first place.”
“No bonus for catching stronger monsters? Like ten times the points?”
“No. It’s purely by count.”
For a small group like ours, the rules were hardly favorable. Catching one powerful beast would’ve been better, but this system worked against us.
I surveyed the other groups. Most had at least dozens of members.
We might lose if we’re not careful. As I studied our rivals closely, an unwelcome figure approached.
“Is this woman Bella Balanus?”
It was Gaspar. So the Twilight Swallow Nest was participating after all. I nodded, and he looked at Bella with curiosity.
“Well, I’ll be. So that really was you I saw years ago.”
It was the scene Jeremiah had foreseen. Knowing Bella’s temperament, I worried she wouldn’t respond gracefully.
Bella regarded Gaspar coolly, then smiled softly.
“Gaspar. It’s been a long time. I hope you’ve been well.”
My disciples and I stared at her in surprise. The smile was quite different from her usual mockery.
“You’ve learned manners. As a child, you only ever glared at me.”
“Fifteen years have passed. I regret how I was back then.”
“You’ve grown up with good manners. That’s fine.”
The atmosphere was warmer than expected. Does Bella have this side to her? Gaspar’s lips curved in satisfaction.
“It’s unfortunate we’ve only just met again. Don’t be too disappointed if we take first place.”
“I’d be happy with even second place. There are other powerful groups out there.”
“You mean the Tearing Lion Guild.”
Where Gaspar was looking, there stood a group whose equipment set them apart at a glance. They’d caught my eye since earlier.
It was clear they carried expensive gear, and their bearing radiated confidence. The aura they gave off was remarkable.
Yet their numbers were small—fewer than ten. I asked Gaspar directly.
“What kind of guild is the Tearing Lion?”
“They used to be a Gold-rank group, but they were demoted.”
There are many conditions for Demotion, but most stem from qualification issues. Repeated failure to accept requests, loss of contact, or criminal conduct.
A woman who appeared to be the guild master of the Tearing Lion Guild glanced in my direction. Her fierce gaze gave her a leonine look that was almost uncanny.
In that moment, Gaspar laughed outright. His expression was unusually relaxed, a far cry from his ordinary demeanor.
“Either way, we’ll be first. My son has been improving by leaps and bounds thanks to you.”
“Is that so.”
“Indeed. Raising a tiger cub and all—you’d best be prepared from here on out.”
He burst into a hearty laugh and departed. So he’d only come to boast about his son. Cesare stared at Bella and asked pointedly.
“I’ve never seen you laugh like that. Why do you treat Gaspar so well? Don’t you know how rude he is?”
“I do.”
Bella’s expression cooled again as she spoke.
“The swallows make useful meat shields.”
What kind of life had Bella lived, exactly? Just as Cesare found himself at a loss for words, a Management Bureau official shouted.
“We are now commencing the Conquest Battle! The battle will end when the Boss is defeated.”
So it was beginning. As people gradually made their way into the Desert, I addressed my disciples.
“Jenia. Do you remember what Bella said?”
“Yes. To find the blue-flowered cactus. She said it has a scent that lures monsters.”
Bella possessed extensive knowledge of this Dungeon. She was well-versed in its terrain, the types of monsters, everything.
Even with fewer people, we had a chance if we possessed this kind of information. Though there were still concerns.
I handed Arkel a Water Canteen and spoke.
“Don’t push yourself too hard. In this hot and arid place, your abilities will be difficult to deploy.”
Arkel’s power was formidable, but it had its limits. Especially in a desert like this, it was vulnerable.
Without moisture, ice was hard to conjure, and there was little to burn. Raising the temperature further would yield minimal effect.
The water in the canteen was merely a stopgap. It would serve in a crisis, surely. Bella also spoke to Arkel.
“Head north. There’s an Oasis there too. Drive the monsters toward it and catch them.”
Near water, he would be far more effective. Yet Arkel’s expression seemed odd. Despite the sound advice, he appeared reluctant.
“There’s a problem with what you said.”
“What is it?”
“It should be ‘Arkel’ with respect, not just Arkel.”
For a moment, silence fell over the desert.
Now that he mentioned it, I realized I’d never heard Bella address Arkel or Cesare with an honorific.
Cesare looked at Bella as if he’d only just noticed it himself.
“That’s right! You’ve been speaking casually this whole time, haven’t you?”
“By mental age, I’m your older sister. Did you forget how you used to follow me around when you were small?”
I remembered those days when Cesare would be crying after being bullied by the village children, and Bella would go beat them half to death on his behalf.
From that alone, Bella certainly deserved to be called his elder. Cesare couldn’t even muster a proper rebuttal when Arkel spoke.
“Setting Cesare aside—the age difference between you and me is eight years.”
“All the time I’ve spent in regressions adds up to well over eight years. I’m older than you.”
“Then you should call Master by name too.”
“Master is Master for eternity.”
I wasn’t sure whether to be moved by this or say nothing. Arkel’s gaze remained cold.
“Regardless of how many years you’ve lived, I am your older brother. That attitude shows a lack of respect.”
“Respect? That’s one of the things I threw away.”
“Then I’ll teach you to pick it up again.”
Arkel took a step toward Bella. Everyone else had gone off to fight monsters, but my disciples were fighting each other.
I positioned myself between the two. There was no time to waste in a place like this.
“Stop this and make a wager instead. Nothing involving shooting.”
It seemed faster than trying to persuade them with words. Neither of them was the type to back down easily.
At my words, Arkel fell silent briefly before speaking.
“What would I have to do for you to show respect?”
“If you place first in the Conquest Battle, I’ll consider it.”
“Consider is not an answer. Give me a definite yes.”
“Fine. Place first, and I’ll show respect.”
“Understood.”
Arkel unfastened his Cloak and stripped down to the lightest outfit possible. He bowed his head respectfully toward me.
“I’ll be going now, Master.”
“Yes. All three of you, go well.”
Arkel, Cesare, and Jenia departed. Bella and I were ill-suited for this particular battle anyway, and we were scheduled to relieve exhausted participants when it came our turn.
Bella and I sat beneath a Shade Tent. Even in the shade, the heat was oppressive.
“Thanks to you, our preparations were much smoother. If we’d come without knowledge of this place, we’d have struggled terribly.”
“It’s the kind of information anyone would learn if they asked around.”
For someone supposedly showing respect, her voice was hoarse and rough. As she scooped up a handful of sand, it all slipped away between her fingers.
“Most of what I can do, you and others can do as well.”
There was no self-reproach in that voice. Only a flat calm, as if reciting an obvious fact.
“You speak as though you weren’t needed here at all.”
Bella didn’t answer. She didn’t even look at me.
“Is that why you keep hiding things?”
“Hiding what?”
“Going under Garcia’s command—there was another reason for that, wasn’t there.”
Only then did Bella turn to face me. Her expression was blank, but beneath the surface of her eyes, a faint bewilderment flickered.
“You said Garcia killed us this year. But you went under his command two years ago.”
…….
“Two years ago, you couldn’t have known Garcia would kill us.”
I’d known there was a contradiction in Bella’s story from the start. I’d only kept silent because I didn’t want to press the matter in front of everyone.
I whispered quietly to Bella.
“Bella. What are you hiding?”
A scorching wind swept across us. Sand scattered everywhere. I raised my cloak to shield her from the blast.
It was a long moment before Bella finally spoke.
“……I’ll tell you soon enough.”
Her voice had grown quieter, more subdued. That was enough for me. Not now, but someday she would tell me. I handed her the cloak and rose to my feet.
“I’m going to scout the area. Rest here while I’m gone.”
Bella needed time to gather her thoughts. There was a reason she’d kept it secret.
I made a circuit around the encampment on the pretext of reconnaissance. I noticed more people than I’d expected were still about.
Since they’d be hunting all day, it seemed they were taking turns heading out. We had the same plan.
Then I heard whispered voices coming from the direction of the tents.
“What are the Tearing Lion people even doing here?”
“Looks like they came to recover from their demotion. Honestly, it’s absurd that they only got demoted after sacrificing their assistants.”
There were organizations that occasionally used assistants as bait. Was the Tearing Lion Guild one of them?
I wanted to look around the Tearing Lion area as well, but there were people stationed there too. They seemed alert, so I didn’t approach.
After returning to the tent, Bella and I discussed what we should do in this place.
About two hours had passed when I saw people returning from the distance. At first glance, they seemed to be in a hurry.
There were quite a few who appeared badly injured. While it wasn’t unusual to get hurt in a Dungeon, Bella frowned.
“There are so many wounded. This shouldn’t be that dangerous a Dungeon.”
The weaker-looking ones were indeed the wounded. Then I heard someone gasping and shouting.
“Healer! Treat Cassian quickly!”
It was Gaspar. His face, as he carried Cassian back, was etched with panic and urgency.
Cassian was drenched in blood. Only then did I feel the wrongness of it all.
He’s a swordsman as strong as my own disciples. Moreover, he had Gaspar and other guild members with him.
Yet he was injured? Were my disciples all right? I turned toward the desert, but a shadow suddenly fell across me.
“Master!”
Cesare landed on the ground, materializing from the air. When he looked up, his face was twisted with distress.
A face that looked ready to cry at any moment. Cradling Jenia in his arms, he cried out urgently.
“Master, something’s wrong with Jenia!”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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